Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound (Round Records), a brand-new, six-CD box set from the Jerry Garcia Band and the acoustic duo of Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman, is out today. The collection, which is the latest in a series of archival releases from the Garcia Family, contains more than five and a half hours of previously unreleased music and features cover art by the legendary Stanley Mouse.
It captures two complete performances from the storied 1989 East Coast run that featured Garcia’s Grateful Dead band mate Bob Weir and renowned bassist Rob Wasserman setting the stage for two nightly sets from the Jerry Garcia Band: the September 5, 1989 show at Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, CT and the September 6, 1989 concert at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.
Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound
Setlist for September 5, 1989 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT:
Bob Weir & Rob Wasserman
Festival, Fever, K.C. Moan, Desolation Row, Looks Like Rain, The Winners, Victim or the Crime -> Wasserman Bass Improvisation no. 1 -> Throwing Stones
Jerry Garcia Band
Set One
Cats Under the Stars, They Love Each Other, Waiting for a Miracle, Run for the Roses, Like a Road, My Sisters and Brothers, Deal
Set Two
The Harder They Come, Mission in the Rain, Forever Young, Evangeline, Gomorrah, Don’t Let Go -> Lonesome and a Long Way From Home
Setlist for September 6, 1989 at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY:
Bob Weir & Rob Wasserman
Walking Blues, City Girls -> Fever, Blackbird -> When I Paint My Masterpiece, Shade of Grey -> The Winners -> Easy to Slip -> Wasserman Bass Improvisation no. 2, Heaven Help The Fool
Jerry Garcia Band
Set One
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Stop That Train, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Mississippi Moon, I Second That Emotion, And It Stoned Me, Deal
Set Two
The Harder They Come, Dear Prudence, I Shall Be Released, Let It Rock, Evangeline, That Lucky Old Sun, Tangled Up in Blue
Mohawk Valley Community College’s Rome campus was the perfect venue to showcase the Ed McCain Acoustic Trio and the sold out crowd was treated to an amazing performance. Ed McCain, best known for his songs, “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More”, played these crowd favorites along with many more that spanned his 20+ year career. Joined on stage by Craig Shields on saxophone and wind instruments and Larry Chaney on lead guitar, the three performed seamlessly together.
Many times you see acts that sound awesome from the studio and their live show doesn’t live up to the hype. Not in this case with Ed McCain. The live show sounded as good if not better than the recorded versions. Ed’s strong voice and personal presence wins over the crowd immediately, and his personal narration of songs and their road to the studio makes the song more meaningful as though it was now a personal story for the listener. When Ed shared stories of how the songs came about, the subjects they covered, or the people he introduced to you through the songs there was no way you could hear the song again and not reflect back on the story.
Never again will I be able to hear Marvin Gay’s “What’s Going On” without thinking of RJ’s Barbecue and the story Ed told of this amazing man and his friendship. Nor will I ever not think sax players have it going on since hearing the story behind the song “One Thing Left” and how no matter how charismatic Ed was that evening, it was Craig that had the pretty girls attention. Then there was the song “Sign on the Door” that came about after Ed lent an ear to someone sitting next to him one night at the bar. Songs are written by artists for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they are to celebrate, sometimes to heal, but no matter how they came to be, we tend to apply to our personal lives. It’s this gift of story telling that makes Ed McCain an amazing writer, performer, and entertainer.
It was a pleasure sitting down and talking to Ed about music, life in Greenville, and his passions for every day life. This passion that comes across in his music, as well as his genuine love of family, music, and surroundings are what makes his music so personal and loved by many.
On December 28th, The Westcott Theater will once again host fan favorites Enter The Haggis, an extraordinary group of musicians who never cease to amaze their fans through their inspirational music that captures current events in life and the world.
Enter the Haggis’ latest release, The Modest Revolution, was born entirely of stories found in the the March 30, 2012 edition of The Glove and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. From this album, many hit songs were born from the stories they read. One single, “Blackout”, tells of the frustrations of Toronto Maple Leafs fans in their beloved team and their inability to win the cup. The single is currently in the running to become Canada’s new hockey anthem and has made it to the next round of voting.
With a busy touring schedule, they have once again embarked on a new and creative project, The Black Penny Project. This album will feature songs written entirely from stories submitted by fans. These stories can be of any topic and the only catch is that they must be written down on paper, the old fashioned way, and mailed in. Why write songs about the fans? Because Haggis Heads are “some of the most diverse, eccentric, eclectic, and interesting people that they know.”
We will be sitting down with Enter the Haggis before their performance at the Westcott this night, and fans have been asked to submit questions for the band. Questions should be unique and special, so we are turning to Haggis Heads to drive this interview in the same way the band is driving their next project.
All Good Music Festival announced yesterday that after seventeen years of the infamous festival, they are taking a hiatus in 2014. There seems to have been some issues with the fixed residency of the fest at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio – where the festival has been held since 2012.
The Official All Good Music Festival & Campout website had this to say –
After 17 consecutive years the All Good Music Festival is taking a year off in 2014 with solid plans to return in 2015 at an unspecified venue. Festival organizers Tim Walther and Junipa Contento are taking this time to develop and cultivate a long–term location for the return of All Good Festival by bringing it back home to the mid–atlantic region, where they have proudly presented live music events for the past 18 years. “We want all of our fans to know that we are extremely grateful for all of their support, dedication and the cherished experiences we’ve had on the mountaintop and elsewhere, and to rest easy knowing that the All Good Festival that we’ve all built together and loved for so long is in the works for even more amazing memories and a return in the summer of 2015. Meanwhile, we will continue to present live events in the Baltimore/Washington DC area.”
To get the latest All Good Festival information fans are encouraged to register for email updates at www.allgoodfestival.com. Fans of the event are also welcomed to sound off by sharing support, feedback, memories, photos and more at www.facebook.com/AllGoodMusicFestival.
SOLARiS announced its New Year’s Eve show on December 31st at The Gates in Ithaca, New York’s Collegetown. Come join SOLARiS for a three sets face melting New Year’s cheer that you wont soon forget. With special guest DJ Gundz spinning between sets, so the music will be bumping all night long. The Gates has extended its drinking hours meaning the party wont stop until 3:00 AM.
2013 has been a great year. We have expanded our staff and coverage to bring more bands and live acts to the attention of fans and readers, and are looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation as we focus on the music coming out of all corners of New York State. The best music festivals of 2013 and incredible tours pepper the Upstate New York music calendar, and give broad musical choices for the 8 million New Yorkers who call Upstate their home.
Our staff writers and photographers were asked to look back at the full year of music in Upstate New York and beyond, and weigh in with their best of 2013. We looked at 10 categories – Best Upstate Show, Best Show, Best Upstate Album, Best Album, Best Upstate Festival, Best Festival, Best Upstate Venue, Best Venue, Best Band on the Rise and Jam of the Year – and came up with the best music we have seen and heard this year.
Here’s part 3 of 5, looking at the Best Festivals of 2013
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) will be making their much anticipated return to live music at The Capitol Theatre on December 27. The group, consisting of Joe Russo (drums), Marco Benevento (keys), Scott Metzger (guitar), Dave Dreiwitz (bass), and Tommy Hamilton (guitar), played one show in January at The Brooklyn Bowl to rave reviews.
Many people cited how they sounded the closest to the old psychedelic version of The Grateful Dead than any other tribute act around these days. That show can be downloaded here from Archive.org. had a chance to talk with Joe about this show as well as what is on the docket for him next year:
JRAD photo by Andrew Blackstien
Bryan Lasky: So this group debuted in January. To what degree was it logistics that led to nearly a year before the group played again?
Joe Russo: Hmm, not sure. We certainly didn’t go into our show in January ever thinking we would be doing this more than once. I think the incredible amount of fun we all had on stage, plus the tremendous feedback we got from the listeners, led us to the possibility of doing it again. We threw around some ideas about doing it again in late 2014, but after a couple casual conversations with Pete Shapiro about how fun it would be to play The Cap, (and) here we are. It’s just seemed to make sense. Furthur wasn’t playing on New Year’s Eve and we have the opportunity to play the greatest room in the area. For me it’s a culmination of a few things that is really making this such a special way to end my 2013. I get to play the music that has changed my life, with my best friends, at my favorite venue, surrounded by all of our closest friends and family. I couldn’t be happier!
BL: What has been the best part about playing with Furthur the last couple of years? Do you have favorite memories or shows?
JR: Furthur completely changed my life. I seriously can’t be more thankful for the opportunity that I’ve had over these years. Being given an opportunity to engage in such a legendary songbook with some of the guys who created it is just beyond words. The venues I’ve gotten to play, the crowds I’ve gotten to play for. The incredible musicians I’ve made contact with, in and outside of the Grateful Dead world. It has been humbling and inspiring. Out of the hundreds of incredible memories made during Furthur, I’d have to say the first time we played Madison Square Garden takes the cake. That’s a dream fully realized and I will always hold that with me as one of the greatest moments of my life.
JRAD photo by Andrew Blackstien
BL: What is it that you love about The Grateful Dead catalog?
JR: It’s timeless and wildly diverse. I feel like I’m always discovering something new with these songs. Either in their recorded forms or hearing a new take from an old live show. It can be so malleable or it can just be played straight up and down in all its original intention. I can’t think of any other collection of ‘rock’ songs that can be given such a treatment.
BL: How much practice is there for these JRAD shows?
JR: A good bit. We’re getting together a few times to work the tunes out. Most importantly, Scott Metzger, Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz and Tom Hamilton are all fearless improvisors and play straight from the heart. I think what I realized last time we played, is that Almost Dead is really five friends creating music in the moment over a Grateful Dead roadmap.
BL: Any chance of the Almost Dead crew going out on a mini-tour anytime?
JR: Never say never, but nothing is planned or being planned. We are all so busy with our own careers, bands, families and schedules. It might be something fun to do eventually, but for now, I think we’re looking at this as a once a year kinda thing. I think we’re just looking to put on the best show we possibly can for ourselves and those in attendance on December 27th. We’re really excited! Gonna be one hell of a setlist, that’s for sure
BL: What recording and touring projects do you have lined up in 2014?
JR: So far, it looks like I’ll be doing a bunch of stuff with Phil Lesh, a nice bit of international playing with Shpongle Live Band (including our third ever show in the U.S. at Red Rocks in May), some Bustle In Your Hedgerow shows at our home, Brooklyn Bowl and hopefully some more touring and recording with Cass McCombs. I’ve been spending a ton of time in my studio finishing things up for my own record that I hope to release by the end of 2014. Lots of logs in the fire as far as recordings go. I’ve signed on for a couple records in early 2014 as well as getting the ball rolling on bringing two of my favorite musicians together to join me in making an improvised trio record.
As Joe stated above, this is the only show for this band at the moment so don’t miss out in a couple of weeks. Tickets are available now here.
Cabinet, in conjunction with Live Nation, announced their 2nd annual music festival ever to play The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Saturday, May 10th. Continuing in the “named after a Cabinet song” tradition, this year’s festival has been named SUSQUEHANNA BREAKDOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL. Taking the name from a track on the band’s most recent album, a nearby river and a noisy, energetic American country dance, 2014’s fest promises to be even bigger and better than the last.
New to the festival this year will be the addition of more performing artists, a second stage, more craft and food vendors, family friendly camping (on the pavilion lawn!) and much, much more. Full lineup, charity partner and new festival addition details will roll out in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned.
Fan Club Tickets go on sale Monday, Dec. 23 at 10am and will be available at Ticketmaster.com, The Pavilion Box Office (1000 Montage Mountain Road, Scranton, Pa), Ticketmaster Outlets or by-phone at 800-745-3000.
Early Bird tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 7 at 10am and will be available at Ticketmaster.com, The Pavilion Box Office (1000 Montage Mountain Road, Scranton, Pa), Ticketmaster Outlets or by-phone at 800-745-3000.
Completely Unchained, one of the most well known and loved Van Halen tribute bands once again returned to the Central New York region to rock the house at the Turning Stone Showroom. If looking to travel back to the 1980’s during the height of hair bands and rock and roll, all one had to do is close their eyes and they were be transported right back in time to a Van Halen concert as they played songs like “Jump”, “Hot For Teacher”, and “You Really Got Me Going” to name just a few.
Completely Unchained – Turning Stone 2013
Talented musicians Eugene Henriksen on lead vocals, Johnny Roggio on guitar, Mason Swearingen on bass, and George Pagonis on drums have perfected not only the sound of Van Halen, but the look and energy that fans have loved for decades. These accomplished musicians are true performers and a must see for tribute bands fans.
The recently reopened Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill, known before 2013 as Paramount Center for the Arts, played host to a double bill of blues and rock that no music lover could say no to. Billed as a “Holiday Hoedown,” the evening was headlined by NRBQ with the Nighthawks opening.
The night began with an hour-long set by Washington, D.C. natives The Nighthawks. The set was carried largely by the roaring vocals and harmonica of Mark Wenner. Their set list was laden with fast-paced rockin’ blues with the right amount of soulful blues led with the vocals of drummer Mark Stutso, a recent 2010 addition to the band’s lineup.
NRBQ’s set had something for everyone, with an eclectic mix of blues, rock, pop, and rockabilly spanning their entire career since 1967. Accompanied by a sax and trombone, the band took the stage fit for the season with their rendition of “Frosty the Snowman” followed by a cover of David Rose’s “The Stripper.” Not too long after taking the stage, audience members were dancing in the isles to “Paris.” NRBQ is well known for not adhering to a strict or necessarily consistent set list between shows. This spontaneity on stage made for a truly genuine performance connected to the audience. Not to mention the energy and enthusiasm of founding member Terry Adams on keys, which kept the crowd engaged for the entire performance.
The audience was treated to a somewhat unusual encore to wrap up the evening. Where one may expect the band to return to the stage with one or two of their hits, NRBQ instead took to the stage wheeling out a road case set atop with a number of hand bells. Donned in the finest attire fit for Jimmy Fallon’s “Twelve Days of Christmas Sweaters” segment, the band had the audience laughing in good humor as they did a 4-part medley of holiday tunes on the bells.
NRBQ has been through a few changes over their 45+ year career with changes in the band’s lineup in the last 10 years and a few hiatus periods. Their performance at the Paramount has proven that the group has withstood the test of time and still a notable act to catch for all generations.
The night began with an hour-long set by Washington, D.C. natives The Nighthawks. The set was carried largely by the roaring vocals and harmonica of Mark Wenner. Their set list was laden with fast-paced rockin’ blues with the right amount of soulful blues led with the vocals of drummer Mark Stutso, a recent 2010 addition to the band’s lineup.